


Love Me Before I'm Gone

by Infinite_Infinite



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Confessions, Death, Final moments, Hurt/Comfort, IT'S GAY, Injury, It's shit, Legit just angst and pain, M/M, Mission Gone Wrong, Mutual Pining, SO, Tears, but - Freeform, i felt sad so have this, it's also kinda fluffy, it's probs better than nothing, ur welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13094250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinite_Infinite/pseuds/Infinite_Infinite
Summary: In a mission gone wrong, Ezekiel is wounded, but Jake is the one that hurts the most





	Love Me Before I'm Gone

 

Ezekiel Jones, World Class Theif, was meant to go out with a bang. A bungee jumping accident or base jumping went wrong, hell, maybe even life in prison because he got caught stealing the Mona Lisa. In any case, his death was meant to make the headlines, break the news. 

It wasn't meant to end with him bleeding out on the floor of a magical library, with the pleas and cries of the people he had come to call family falling on deaf ears. 

 

It started with the clippings book. It always did. They had gotten a new clipping about a girl who spontaneously combusted and burnt her entire house- and family- to the ground. As usual, Jenkins fired up the door, and the five of them- Colonel Baird, Flynn, Cassandra, Jake and Ezekiel himself- went to investigate. 

The second they arrived in Jerome, Arizona, Ezekiel had had a funny feeling, like there was something... off about the place. He'd voiced his opinion to the group and was met with sceptical looks and _'yeah right'_ -s. 

_"I'm serious! This place creeps me out. It feels like we're walking in a graveyard on Halloween or something,"_

_Baird rolled her eyes. "Jones, just because you want to get back to your precious library wifi, doesn't mean you can bunk off work. In case you haven't noticed, this is your job, so stop trying to play hooky and go with Stone to ask the locals if they've seen anything strange going on,"_

As it turned out, the locals had seen something weird going on. The combustion wasn't a one-time thing, and many buildings had been reduced to empty shells due to what the police were calling 'gas leaks'. Of course, Jenkins knew better. 

_"When a body possessed by a Demon isn't strong enough to contain the spirit, it combusts, due to the sheer amount of power that the Demon holds,"_

_"So kind of like when you put a lasagna in the microwave without poking holes in the top, and it explodes everywhere?" Ezekiel offered._

_Jenkins nodded. "Exactly like that, Mr Jones, except that instead of having Lasagna all inside your microwave, you get flames all inside your house,"_

_"Could anyone have disturbed the demon? Summoned it by accident? Opened up an ancient tomb?" Baird asked quickly, pointedly ignoring Ezekiel's simplification._

_Through the screen of Cassandra's phone, Jenkins shrugged. "It could be that it was summoned centuries ago and wasn't sent back to where it came from, and so has just been wandering across the earth, or someone has deliberately summoned it as a way to kill those who have angered them in the past. With these types of demons, it could be anything,"_

They had no idea exactly what they were up against, nor how to send it back to where it came from, and it came to no surprise to them when they discovered that it was a very hostile being. 

Whilst exploring the latest building that had been burnt to a crisp, the group broke off into trios and duos. Cassandra, Flynn and Baird searched the grounds, whilst Ezekiel and Jones (begrudgingly) worked together to search what was left of the house. 

_"So Stone, what do you think the demon's like? Is it vicious? Is it just misunderstood?"_

_Jake rolled his eyes so far back they could have gotten stuck at the back of his skull. "It's a demon, Jones. A tortured being from the pits of hell. What do you think?"_

_"Yeesh," Ezekiel grumbled, dragging his heels through the ash on the floor. "Sorry for trying to make conversation,"_

It was only as Ezekiel was kicking up the flecks of ash and dust that he saw it: A summoning pentacle. 

_"Hey Stone, come take a look at this,"_

_Jake made his careful way over to where Ezekiel was crouched, brushing the dirt off of the small, hand-sized pentacle._

_"The Pentacle is used to summon spirits from the Other Place. The summoner draws two pentacles- a larger one to contain the spirit, a smaller to protect the summoner themselves. The pentacle, in order to work, must be absolutely, or near enough, perfect. If not, then the spirit can escape and cause harm to humans, including the one who summoned it. It could be that someone didn't get the pentacle right, and a demon escaped, and is now causing destruction here in Jerome,"_

Stone couldn't have been more right, and looking back on everything, he wished that he hadn't been. If he was wrong, then maybe it would have been a different spirit- one that didn't lunge to attack the nearest human. 

 

The group had tried to summon and contain the demon, using Ezekiel as the summoner. The demon only catered to people trying to advance their fortune, or tip the economic scale in their favour. Who better to summon it that Ezekiel Jones, World Class Theif, the man who stole a Claude Monet painting just because it looked expensive. Unfortunately, it hadn't gone as planned. 

The plan was to have Ezekiel and the demon inside the containment pentacles, with one other librarian in the room for protection, in case it went wrong. The others were sent back to the library to figure out a way to send it back to where it came from, only to return to Arizona if Jake called. Unfortunately, with the combined souls of those killed in the fires, the demon had grown strong enough to break the containment field the pentacle offered and went to attack its next victim: Ezekiel.

Jenkins had supplied the Librarians with assorted weapons capable of killing Demons when they returned to the Library to collect their intel, but no one could act fast enough. The demon snatched the blade from Ezekiel's belt-loop and before anyone could even let out a cry of protest, ran him through with the dagger. Ezekiel fell to the floor with a sickening thud, and the demon disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving the Australian boy to bleed out on the floor.  Jake had rushed to his side, pulling off his overshirt and pressing it to the wound to staunch the bleeding.  With his other hand, he called the Library, not bothering with explanations.

_"Jenkins I need a door stat!"_

Ezekiel could vaguely remember the look of panic on his colleague's face, and the searing pain in his abdomen, but it was hazy, like he was in another body, another place. Everything was like moving through treacle, and all Ezekiel could do was watch himself bleed from a body that wasn't his own. 

Jenkins must have fired up the door, because the next thing he knew, Ezekiel was on the now-cleared desk in the Annex, his shirt long since discarded and phials and bottle clinking by the side of his head. 

_"He was stabbed with the Blade of Mora; a dagger charged with copious amounts of powerful magic. There is a chance that our efforts are futile,"_

Jenkin's voice seemed a million miles away, and the sting of what Ezekiel assumed was an attempt at a cure seemed even further. He barely notices the strangled cry that slips past his lips, and the calloused hand that holds his own is all but a whisper of a touch. 

_"We have to do everything we can,"_

Baird's voice was laced with worry, and Ezekiel could feel her hand running through his hair, calming him. 

The thoughts spinning around the injured boy's mind were quickly interrupted by a searing pain in his stomach. A scream of pain threatened to bubble up from his throat, but Ezekiel refused to let it out. Instead, a loud whimper forced its way from his lips, and his grip on the rough hand in his own tightened impossibly. 

"Shh, it's okay, Ezekiel, it's okay," Cassandra's voice spoke softly from above him, and through unfocused eyes, Ezekiel could see the worry etched into her features. 

A sharp cough tore through his body, and something warm flecked onto Ezekiel's lower lip. "... Hurts..." he groaned, struggling to keep his eyes open. 

 "I know, I know, we're doing everything we can," she spoke softly, taking his other hand and allowing him to grip it tightly. 

"Demon... Missed... vital organs..." he coughed out, wincing with every convulse of his body. 

Cassandra was frantic, probably doing as much math as she could to help the situation. "Missed your vital organs? How do you know that?" 

Ezekiel somehow managed a weak smile. "M... MI6, remember? I've... I've been hurt like thi... this before," 

"Jenkins! The demon missed his vital organs!" Cassandra trilled.

"Even so, Jones doesn't look good," Jacob spoke once more, and his rough hand brushed Ezekiel's fringe out of his face. "He's burning up," 

Ezekiel's eyes fluttered shut, leaving him to rely solely on his hearing. The sound of a bottle stopper was the only warning he got as something icy-cold was applied to his wound, spreading through his bloodstream like frozen fire. He cried out in agony, his body convulsing and curling in on itself, his grip on Baird and Stone like an iron cuff. 

"I think... gonna..." was all he could muster. 

"No no no no, don't go to sleep," Baird pleaded, tapping his face to make him stay awake.

Sleep beckoned Ezekiel closer into it's welcoming grasp as he fought to prevent his heavy eyelids from closing, but he was so tired, he wanted nothing more but to doze off. But jake needed him to stay awake, for whatever reason, so that was what he was going to do. 

"Stone..." he groaned, focusing on the hand in his grasp. 

"Keep talking to me, Ezekiel, keep talking," 

 

"'m so... tired..."

And as much as he wanted to, the weight of sleep was too much to withstand now, and Ezekiel let the safe clutches of sleep pull him under. 

* * *

 

He awoke to a tingling all over his body, and an odd weight in his right arm. In his lower abdomen, there was a dull burning sensation- the remnants of the agony he remembered so clearly. He smelled sterile things like floor cleaner and antibacterial spray. They burned at his nostrils, and as he regained the feeling in his limbs, he noticed the scratchy material draped over his body. 

Forcing his eyes open, Ezekiel took in the harsh whites of the room around him; the too-bright lights. 

 _'Hospital'_ is what he immediately thought, but as he fully came to his senses, he realised that under the smell of chemical cleanliness, there was the scent of old paper and dried ink. He was somewhere in the library. 

His right arm felt too heavy to lift, and so, using his left arm to push himself upright, Ezekiel shuffled backwards until his back came into contact with soft pillows. His stomach let out a roar of agony when he moved, and he felt the skin of his lower torso tug with every movement. Looking around, Ezekiel noticed the needle in his right arm, attached to a drip of fluids that was trickling through extremely slowly. Painkillers. That's why he felt all tingly and weird all over. 

"Ugh, Fuck," he grunted, swinging his legs over the edge of the - _really_ \- uncomfortable bed. He willed himself to stand, one hand clutching the gauze that was taped to his abdomen, the other using the drip-stand to hold him upright. Luckily for him, the stand was on wheels and allowed him to move about if he so pleased. One of his hoodies was folded on the chair beside the bed he was on, and he draped it over his bare shoulders, wincing with every move

Ezekiel shuffled down the aisles and aisles of books slowly, the soft material of the grey sweatpants he had been put in brushing up against his thighs every so often. He heard voices coming from the Annexe and limped in its general direction, using the drip stand as a form of crutch to help him walk. The voices got louder as he drew nearer to the annexe, and through the open doorway, he saw Cassandra, Baird and Jenkins sat, hunched over in their individual seats, worry etched across their faces. 

All three of them spoke in soft voices, leaving Ezekiel to fill in the gaps he couldn't quite catch. 

"Is... okay?... seemed...off..." 

"... taking... hard..." 

"...all are..." 

With another wince, Ezekiel's grip on the drip stand tightened, his knuckles turning white. He shuffled forward silently, leaving the librarians and their guardian unaware of his presence. 

Ezekiel took in a deep breath before he spoke. "Word of warning, Demons are violent fuckers," he said loudly. Cassandra jumped, and both she and Baird turned at the sound of another voice. Baird's jaw went slack, her eyes wide open. 

"Ezekiel! You're awake!" she cried, standing too quickly to be considered normal. She took striding steps towards him and then stopped a few inches away, as if she was about to hug him, and then thought better of it. "And you're out of bed. You shouldn't be walking around yet Ezekiel. You're still recuperating. 

He sighed. "Still mothering me, I see," Upon seeing the look on Baird's face, he grinned, holding an arm outwards. "C'mere,"

Colonel Baird pulled him into a gentle hug, and the way she buried her face in his bare shoulder let him know just how worried she was. "Thank God you're okay," she mumbled, refusing to let him go. He hugged her back as tightly as he could without hurting himself and patted her back awkwardly, trying to hide his smile. 

"Good to see you too, Baird," 

Cassandra came next, and she was much the same, except she gave him a lecture about scaring everyone whilst she hugged him to death, rather than just letting him be. When she stepped away, Jenkins shook Ezekiel's hand, giving him a warm smile, which he easily returned. 

"Good to see you're alive, Mr Jones," 

Ezekiel grinned. "You too, Jenkins," 

Upon coming to her senses, Baird helped Ezekiel to the leather fainting couch in the annexe, easing him down carefully, trying not to knock the needle in his arm. 

"So, where's Flynn and Stone?" Ezekiel inquired, trying to ignore the pain in his lower stomach, to no avail. 

Bair and Cassandra shared a look, and then glanced at Ezekiel, before looking away again. 

"Um," Eve started, not looking directly at Ezekiel. "Flynn has gone to look for a way to heal demon blade wounds, in case this happens again. Stone is-uh- stone is probably training," 

"We haven't really seen him since you were stabbed," Cassandra quickly explained.

Ezekiel looked quizzical. _"Since?_ How long have I been out?" he inquired, sitting up as much as he could. 

Cassandra shot Baird an uncomfortable, and the colonel sucked in a breath between her teeth. 

"A week," 

"A  _WEEK?!"_ Ezekiel cried out, mortified. "I was unconscious for a week?!"

"A week and two days, to be exact," Cassandra squeaked, looking down at her shoes as if they were the most important thing on the planet. 

Ezekiel sighed, giving up on trying to form words. "And you haven't seen Stone since?" 

Baird shrugged. "I've seen him here and there, but he's been in his own head all the time, and didn't want much to do with anyone," 

"He sat with you for a while though," Cassandra added, daring to glimpse up at Ezekiel. "Every couple of days, he was sat next to you. He looked... sad... powerless... it was horrible,"

Eve hummed in agreement. "He's been spaced out since you went under,"

"Stone... stone sat by me? While I was out?" 

"Uh huh," 

Ezekiel's brow furrowed. "But... he hates me?" 

"Maybe not as much as you think, Jones," Baird mumbled, a knowing look on her face. 

For Baird to have understood why Stone's actions meant so much to Ezekiel, she must have seen the looks he sent Stone's way when he wasn't looking; or the way he'd pretend to hate being paired with the southern man but really relish every second of it. She must have known how Ezekiel had grown to feel about Jacob Stone, the most cultured man in the world, over the years they'd been working together. 

She must have known how Ezekiel Jones, World Class Thief fell for an undercover genius from Oklahoma. 

"Do you have any idea where he is now?" 

The two women shrugged. 

"Your best bet is the training room," Cassandra announced, pointing towards the doors that led to the main library.

Ezekiel didn't need to be told twice. He was up and on his feet as fast as he could be, and walking faster than he could bear, one hand clutching at his abdomen as he moved. He checked every aisle on his way and called out Jacob's name every few minutes. 

"Stone?" He called, poking his head around the door of the training room, where he could hear the clanging of metal and grunts of exertion. 

Stood in the centre of the room was Jacob, his hands wrapped in black boxing wraps, punching the life out of the red punching bag that was suspended from the ceiling. He looked far away, his eyes unfocused and glassy as he fought the inanimate bag. He was muttering something under his breath, something that Ezekiel couldn't quite catch. 

He called again. "Stone?" 

Still no response, only soft mutterings. Ezekiel got closer, step by step, Jake's voice getting louder with every move. 

 _"It's-"_  slam _"-all-"_  slam _"your-"_  slam  _"fault-"_ slam

His whispers were like a mantra, one that seemed to keep him inside his own head. Ezekiel outstretched one hand, placing it on Jake's bicep. 

"Jake?" 

He seemed to snap out of his daze at the sound of his name and spun to face Ezekiel so fast that it made the Australian boy flinch. "Ezekiel?" 

A weak smile crept across Ezekiel's lips. "So... I survived a demon blade. How awesome is that?" He grinned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. 

"You're up... You're awake," Disbelief acted as a mask across Stone's face, and his jaw went slack. 

Ezekiel's grin faded ever-so-slightly. "Yeah. You can't get rid of me that easily, Stone," 

"Jenkins- he said... He said there was a chance you wouldn't wake up." Jacob's voice was nothing but a whisper as if he was scared to say the words out loud. 

"Well, for once in his life, Jenkins was wrong," Ezekiel murmured, inching closer. "I'm still here aren't I?" 

All Stone could do was nod, his lower lip caught between his teeth. 

Ezekiel cleared his throat before speaking again. "Cassandra- she uh- she told me that while I was out, you- you sat with me?" 

Jake looked down at his shoes, suddenly abashed. "Yeah, um- I did," he mumbled, his voice barely reaching Ezekiel's ears. 

"Why?" Ezekiel asked eyes fixed on Jacob's face. "Why did you sit with me, I mean. I thought you hated me," 

Stone's gaze shot up to meet Ezekiel's, startling the shorter, injured boy. "I never hated you, Ezekiel Jones," he spoke firmly, fingers fiddling with the wraps around his hands. "At the start? Yeah- I thought you were a dick-" 

"Oh, thanks," Ezekiel scoffed, trying (and failing) to fold his arms. 

"Let me finish, please," he begged, eyes pleading. "At the start, yeah, I disliked you, but I didn't hate you. Then I got to know you. You became more than just Ezekiel Jones, the thief with a God complex-you became my friend. And then we started working together on missions, and we grew closer, and I started to realise that I liked you as more than just a friend, Ezekiel. I-I wanted... I wanted to know what it was like to be yours..." Jacob trailed off, trying to find the right words, and Ezekiel's expression softened. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" he murmured, his voice just above a breath. His eyes searched Stone's face for any sort of emotion, but it was unnervingly blank. 

Jake scratched nervously at the back of his neck, bashful. "I'm not... good with words per se," he mumbled. 

Ezekiel took Jake's hands in his own, ghosting his thumbs over bruised knuckles, brown eyes locked with Stone's blue ones. "It's a good thing I'm not either," 

Leaning upwards on the tips of his toes, Ezekiel brought a hand to Jake's cheek, pulling him down until their lips met. The kiss was electric: sparks passing between the two that seemed to pull them closer together. Jacob's arms wound around Ezekiel's waist, one on his hip, one on the small of his back. Ezekiel's hands tangled in Jake's hair, forearms resting on his broad shoulders. Pain twinged in his abdomen, but he couldn't care less, too distracted by the man in front of him whose chapped lips fit perfectly against his own. 

Eventually, they pulled away for air, their noses bumping and their breath intermingling in the minuscule space between them. The two boys' eyes met once more, and they couldn't stop the goofy smiles that spread across their faces. 

"I guess it only took a near-death experience for us to stop being so oblivious, huh?" Ezekiel breathed, running his fingers through Jake's chocolate locks. 

He laughed. "I guess so," 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> yikes, this is terrible, but at least you got a kiss in there, I mean, I could have been evil and killed Ezekiel off, but I didn't, so that's a plus, right?
> 
> Songs I listened to whilst writing this: 
> 
> War of Hearts- Ruelle  
> https://youtu.be/49ZhrgtR-S4
> 
> I Get To Love You- Ruelle  
> https://youtu.be/wMgzldfzVjQ


End file.
